Owensboro Convention Center meets most attendance goals

The Owensboro Convention Center has been open a year now and down the street, the up tick in business shows - at Bee Bop's Burgers, Shakes, and Fries.

When the Convention Center is full, things around here sizzle too. In fact, Bee Bops' Aryial Roberts says - they often schedule extra help during convention events. "Since the convention center has opened up we've had so many more people come in and business has picked up. It's been really great," said Roberts.

And the report card is in for the Convention Center itself. Officials say they hit their goals with more than 225 scheduled events that brought in 118 thousand people. ""Our numbers have really been what we wanted them to be. I think the venue has really become what the citizens of Owensboro and tri state region wanted it to be," said Dean Dennis, Owensboro Convention Center General Manager.

That's good, but they'd like to boost their small corporate meetings numbers, heading into next year. And they're "cooking up" a plan to do it - focusing on promoters who could bring in more business in 2015.

Convention Center officials say they have 25 conventions and over 50 banquets already planned for next year.